Of course, they can check the rating on our website. Here you can select the period for which the statistics will be calculated. But not everyone is satisfied with dry information in a table; there is a desire to get a brief description of each model and, accordingly, understand by what parameters buyers give preference to each of them. It is for this reason that we decided to start publishing a series of articles where we will briefly analyze the most popular cars on our market.
We will start our series of articles from the end of the TOP-10 best-selling cars for the first half of the year. Here we are not tied to either class or body type. The list is closed by Skoda Octavia, which, despite the instability in the country and the decline in purchasing power, is still a bestseller.
Brief reference:
Skoda Octavia is a C-class model that the Czech automaker produced twice: from 1959 to 1971 and from 1996 to the present. The name of this car means "eight" - as it became the eighth passenger car model in the history of the Czech company. The modern Skoda Octavia is already produced in two generations.
The first generation, which came off the assembly line in 1996, was produced in two body modifications: liftback and station wagon. The car was produced on the front-wheel drive Volkswagen Group PQ34 platform, on which the Volkswagen Jetta model was also produced. In 2000, the Octavia family underwent a restyling: not only the exterior and interior of the model were updated, but also its technical "filling".
The second generation of the Skoda Octavia was officially presented in 2004. Both body modifications received a new "appearance", improved construction and interior design, improved engines and transmissions. The model is based on the new Volkswagen Group PQ35 platform. In 2007, Skoda introduced the "off-road" version of the Octavia Scout station wagon, which differed from the standard one by the presence of all-wheel drive, increased ground clearance, plastic overlays on the bumpers and around the body perimeter.
In 2008, all modifications of the Skoda Octavia were subjected to restyling, and the model appeared in updated form at the Paris Motor Show. Currently, the model is equipped with a wide range of petrol (with a volume of 1.2 to 2.0 liters, there are versions with turbocharging) and diesel (with a volume of 1.6 to 2.0 liters) engines. They are paired with several types of transmissions: five- and six-speed manual, six-speed automatic (with manual shift function), as well as six- and seven-range robotic manual with two clutches. The car's drive is front (all-wheel drive for the Octavia Scout).
Despite the fact that the Octavia is built on the Golf platform, it has larger dimensions both externally and internally. Among Ukrainian consumers, the car has a reputation for being reliable, unpretentious and inexpensive to maintain. Some consumers consider it as a budget alternative to the Volkswagen Passat model.
Conclusion: The Skoda Octavia is more of a choice for a consumer who wants to purchase a relatively large car with a good history, legendary reliability and a lower cost compared to direct competitors.
For questions regarding the purchase of a Skoda Octavia car and its further maintenance, you can contact the company LLC "Avtocentr Kiev".
In 9th place, one of the most popular models of the global market holds its position - Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla is one of the models of the "crown" family of the Japanese company, which was first presented in 1966. The name Corolla is translated from Latin as "small crown". This C-class car received this name due to its compact dimensions, since the "crown" family of Toyota already had Crown, Corona, and later Camry models, which surpassed the Corolla in dimensions.
Toyota Corolla in 1997 became the best-selling car in the world, overshadowing the former bestseller Volkswagen Beetle, and received the title "European Car of the Year". In total, by 2012, Toyota had sold more than 39 million Corolla units in all body modifications (there were five: sedan, three- and five-door hatchbacks, station wagon and liftback). Currently, the model is produced in the eleventh generation (E160), which was officially presented in 2010 at the international auto show in Los Angeles.
The first four generations of the model were built on a rear-wheel drive platform. Starting in 1984, the Corolla began to be produced on platforms with front and optionally available all-wheel drive. Gradually, the Japanese automaker discontinued some body modifications of the Corolla, or separated them into independent models (so, in 2006, the Corolla hatchback turned into the Auris). In addition to Japan, the production of the model is established in Brazil, Canada, China, Turkey, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and Venezuela. Some body modifications were produced in the UK (station wagon, liftback).
Currently, the tenth generation of the model is supplied to Ukraine. Official deliveries of the car began in 2011. The car is produced in a sedan body on the front-wheel drive E150 platform (a station wagon is also available for other markets). The Toyota Corolla is equipped with two petrol engines with a volume of 1.33 (budget modification Corolla City) and 1.6 liters. The power units are paired with a six-range manual and four-speed automatic transmission.
Toyota Corolla is truly a legendary model. Legends are told about its reliability. This does not always correspond to reality, but in most cases it is true. If you meet a Corolla owner complaining about breakdowns, then most likely he simply does not look after his car and does not carry out timely maintenance. With all its legendary status, the model is quite ascetic inside. Ascetic from the point of view of design, but not of equipment and capabilities.
Conclusion: A car for a buyer who longs to purchase a car not just with a name, but having a long history. Moreover, he is looking not for a prestigious premium car, but for a real workhorse.
In 8th place is a truly European car, the Skoda Rapid. In fact, this car is a complete analogue of the Volkswagen Polo.
Brief reference:
Skoda Rapid - derived from the English Rapid - "fast", "swift"), embodies two conceptual ideas: speed as the engine of the brand's progress and the swiftness of the car body silhouette. The car is built on the basis of the Mission L concept car, the presentation of which took place in September 2011 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The five-door liftback is the embodiment of the new stylistics of the Czech brand. This is a completely new concept, because for Skoda the name Rapid is not new - this was the name of the models that the Czech automaker produced from 1935 to 1947 and from 1984 to 1990 inclusive.
The official premiere of the Skoda Rapid took place at the Paris Motor Show in September 2012. The car is built on a modified (with an extended wheelbase, increased body dimensions) platform on which the sixth generation Volkswagen Polo is built. In addition to the liftback body modification, the company's management intends to establish the production of the Skoda Rapid in a hatchback body. Also, Skoda does not reject the idea of creating a station wagon based on the Rapid, since all modern models of the Czech brand had or have this body modification in their lineup. The car is equipped with a number of atmospheric and turbocharged petrol engines with a volume of 1.2 and 1.4 liters. Also under the hood of the model you can find a 1.6 liter diesel unit equipped with a turbine and a TDI direct injection system. The units work in pairs with a five- or six-speed manual or seven-speed robotic transmission. The car has front-wheel drive. At the front, the Skoda Rapid has an independent MacPherson suspension, at the rear - a semi-independent suspension.
Specially for the CIS countries, the car is equipped with a "bad roads" package, which includes reinforced anti-corrosion treatment of the body and an increased ground clearance of 15 mm. The interior of the Skoda Rapid impresses with its practicality: the creators of the car equipped it with many different niches and containers (for example, under the front passenger seat), a special stand for a mobile phone. The model's trunk has a double floor and side niches, and its volume (550 l) is one of the largest in its class.
A certain category of buyers strives to buy exclusively a car from famous brands. But the budget does not always allow this. In the case of the Volkswagen concern, the issue is solved simply: if you do not have enough money for a Polo, you can take a Rapid. But, however, savings are possible only in younger trim levels. Otherwise, it is still the same Polo both in terms of assembly quality and the quality of finishing materials.
Conclusion: The buyer gets a modern high-quality car of European production with the opportunity to save a little, compared to the analogue under the Volkswagen brand.
For questions regarding the purchase of a Skoda Rapid car and its further maintenance, you can contact the company LLC "Avtocentr Kiev".
7th place is occupied by the product of the Ukrainian automotive industry - ZAZ Vida.
Brief reference:
ZAZ Vida - (from Latin - "life") a model of a compact sedan/hatchback of the B-class, the production of which has been established at the Zaporozhye Automobile Building Plant since 2012. The name of the model, Vida, reflects the desire of the Ukrainian automaker to breathe new life into a car that has already become a bestseller in Ukraine. After all, the ZAZ Vida is, in fact, a restyled and modernized model of the second generation Chevrolet Aveo.
The car differs from its ancestor in exterior elements (a new radiator grille with a branded ZAZ badge, a different shape of the front bumper). The presentation of the car for the Russian market took place in August 2012 at the Moscow International Automobile Salon. In technical terms, the car has not undergone changes - it is still the same old familiar Aveo. In Ukraine, the car is offered in three trim levels.
The ZAZ Vida is equipped with two petrol engines: a sixteen-valve 1.4 liter and an eight-valve 1.5 liter. The first engine works only with a four-speed automatic transmission. The second unit is paired with a five-speed manual transmission. At the front, the ZAZ Vida has an independent suspension, and at the rear - a semi-independent one. The Zaporozhye Automobile Plant intends to bring the degree of localization of the car to more than 50% in the near future, in order to be able to sell it on export markets under its own brand. On the Russian expanses, this car will be sold under the name ZAZ Point and equipped with a new 1.5 liter engine assembled under a Chery license at the Melitopol Motor Plant.
Indeed, what could be simpler than taking a car that has long been popular and... and making a car with a new name out of it. In order to make it cheaper and more affordable, minor changes were made. For example, they began to use engines familiar to consumers from the ZAZ Sens and ZAZ Forza. This really reduces the cost and practically does not affect safety. Otherwise, it is still the same time-tested Chevrolet Aveo.
Conclusion: ZAZ Vida is a good choice for a buyer who wants to purchase a modern car, but agrees to save money by changing the brand.
For questions regarding the purchase of a ZAZ Vida car and its further maintenance, you can contact the company Avtocentr na Stolichnom.
In 6th place we again meet a representative of the domestic automotive industry - ZAZ Lanos. A model that has not left the TOP-10 list for several years, and in some periods even occupied first place in sales.
Brief reference:
ZAZ Lanos - one of the first Ukrainian models with a foreign pedigree, got its name in honor of the god Janus (from Spanish - "Lanos"), who in ancient Roman mythology was considered the deity of doors, entrances and exits, as well as passages, and symbolized for the brand a kind of transition from outdated models to new ones.
The predecessor of the "Ukrainianized" Lanos was a model of the South Korean company Daewoo. Its design was developed by the famous body designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. Initially, even under the Daewoo brand, the Lanos began to be assembled at the Zaporozhye Automobile Building Plant back in 1998. In 2002, after the release of the second generation of the model, the assembly of the car continued. Under the ZAZ brand, this model in a sedan body began to be produced in 2009. And a year later, the production of the ZAZ Lanos in a five-door hatchback body began, which is supplied to Russia under the name ZAZ Chance. On the basis of the ZAZ Lanos, the Sens model is produced at the facilities of the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant, which is produced in two body modifications - sedan and five-door hatchback.
Initially, the car was equipped with two petrol engines - a 1.3 liter produced by the Melitopol Motor Plant and a 1.5 liter produced by General Motors. Subsequently, the 1.3 liter Melitopol engine was discontinued, and a 1.4 liter engine began to be supplied instead. The trusted 1.5 liter engine from General Motors remained in service. And in 2011, the line of power units was replenished with a completely new 1.5 liter engine produced by ACTECO. Moreover, engineers of the well-known Austrian company AVL had a hand in the development of this engine. Standardly, the car is equipped with a 5-speed manual gearbox - it works in pairs with 1.5 liter engines. Starting from 2011, a 4-speed automatic transmission began to be installed on the ZAZ Lanos, which is paired only with the 1.4 liter engine. The car's drive is front.
ZAZ Lanos has become one of the most popular cars in Ukraine. This is not surprising if you look at its price and owner reviews. The low cost and reliability more than compensate for the fact that the design is not the most modern. To an unpretentious consumer who has not seen anything better than a Volga, Moskvich or Zhiguli before, the car may seem super modern. It is such buyers who rely more on the opinions of other car owners. Here, the massive use of it as a taxi rendered a good service to the car. If taxi drivers, who cover the largest annual mileage, do not complain about the equipment, then an ordinary layman will not have any problems at all.
Conclusion: A truly reliable and unpretentious car that allowed many owners of Soviet rarities to switch to a higher quality, more reliable and, most importantly, more comfortable car. Before the appearance of Chinese brands on the market, this was one of the best offers in terms of price-quality ratio.
For questions regarding the purchase of a ZAZ Lanos car and its further maintenance, you can contact the company Avtocentr na Stolichnom.
As we can see from the first part of our review (from tenth to sixth position), a certain tendency towards economy can be traced. Almost all cars are budget, with the exception of the not most affordable Octavia. And the lower their cost, without compromising quality, the higher the rating. But modern technologies and design solutions in this case are not the main indicators. Which cars occupy the first 5 places - will tell the second part of the TOP of the best-selling cars in Ukraine for the first half of the year
